Will Obama be another in a long line of presidents who have suffered big second-term difficulties?

Sunday

May 12, 2013 at 12:16 PM

Since the end of World War II, every U.S. president who has served more than four years has experienced significant difficulties in his second term.

Harry Truman’s problems were such that he left office with a record-low approval rating. Dwight Eisenhower had a spy plane shot down in Soviet air space. Lyndon Johnson’s military adventurism in Vietnam was his undoing. Richard Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal. Ronald Reagan’s legacy was tarnished by the Iran-Contra affair. Bill Clinton was impeached over the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. George W. Bush presided over two unpopular wars and a collapse ...

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Pat Cunningham

Since the end of World War II, every U.S. president who has served more than four years has experienced significant difficulties in his second term.

Harry Truman’s problems were such that he left office with a record-low approval rating. Dwight Eisenhower had a spy plane shot down in Soviet air space. Lyndon Johnson’s military adventurism in Vietnam was his undoing. Richard Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal. Ronald Reagan’s legacy was tarnished by the Iran-Contra affair. Bill Clinton was impeached over the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. George W. Bush presided over two unpopular wars and a collapse ...